Welcome to the companion website of The Book of Pears by Joan Morgan

The Book of Pears is a unique and one of a kind guide to the pear. Travelling through history and across the world, it tells the story of the pear and that of the collectors, gardeners and connoisseurs who have made it such a treasured fruit for eating fresh, cooking and making into perry. At the heart of the book lies a Directory to over 500 varieties of pear, more than 40 of which are illustrated by the renowned botanic artist Elisabeth Dowle.

This website complements The Book of Pears and Elisabeth's paintings by providing photographs of almost every one of the 500 varieties described in its Directory, impossible to include in the book itself. To read their full accounts, you will need The Book of Pears. In combination with the book, the website can be used both to put an image to a name and to help put a name to an unknown pear. But these photographs can also stand alone as a testament to the glorious diversity of the pear.